In this Jan. 5, 2016 photo, during production an Oscar statuette is plated with 24 karat gold, given a final buff, and then mounted on its base in Brooklyn, N.Y. Since no one knows who the recipients are at this time, Polich Tallix staff will be on hand at the presentation ceremony to put nameplates on the bases after the Oscar statuettes have been presented. The film academy announced Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, that a New York foundry is restoring features of the original design to the Oscar statuettes for 2016 using digital scans and 3-D printers. (Dorith Mous/Copyright A.M.P.A.S. via AP)
LOS ANGELES— The statuettes for the upcoming Academy Awards are based on an original Oscar from 1929.
The film academy announced Tuesday that a New York foundry is restoring features of the original design to the Oscar statuettes for 2016 using digital scans and 3-D printers.
It took Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry three months to make the 50 statuettes needed for the Feb. 28 ceremony using the high-tech process. Oscar was previously made in a more traditional way by Chicago’s R.S. Owens & Company, the academy’s foundry for the past 34 years.
Oscar is still plated in 24-karat gold. Oscar’s dimensions remain the same: He’s 13 ½-inches tall and weighs 8 ½ pounds. And he’s still just as hard to get.